Similarly, you will find Dominicans who admit that Chinese immigrants to Dominica prosper disproportionately there because, on aggregate, they're harder working than Dominicans are. But culture is only one factor among many, and is never a reason to consider individuals on anything other than an individual basis.

I agree Steve. When you meet an individual you must judge him or het based on his personal merits. But when making policy you must base it on average characteristics. Otherwise you get the wrong diagnosis and treatment.

Mostly not. I don't know of any less developed country which could not benefit from investment in the modernization of its economy. If the country itself has few resources, then the necessary investment must be supported by friendly or associate countries or by means of aid. The trouble is that most developed countries do not encourage the development of poorer countries because they are not interested in fostering competitors.

I think most foreign aid was wasted. The first world has funded the World Bank whose job was to assist in development. There are countries that received no or little foreign aid and succeeded by attracting investments.

You do that by providing business with a good business environment such as:

1)honest government. Corruption is a deterrent to investment
2)rule of law. Capricious governments deters investments
3)hardworking labor force. Lazy people will not attract investment
4)low taxes. No need to elaborate.
5)co-operative labor unions. Unions must not adopt the Marxist notion of class struggle. Instead, they must understand that the struggle is workers + management against the outside competition. The more the company makes, the higher the wages. Grow the pie and not focus on getting a bigger slice.

Unfortunately, there are many nations that have lazy, dishonest, nepotistic people. So the culture matters. That's why some are rich and some are poor.

There are no lazy or dishonest nations or peoples. There are lazy and dishonest people in every country, and people in less developed countries are as honest and hard working as any people in the world. Thinking otherwise is a sign of racism.

Just think about how Westerners thought of Chinese people in the 19th century. That's very much the way you think of Latin or African people...

(PIctures take up too much space.)

Well, Sertorio. I come from a part of the world not blighted with political correctness and we are permitted to speak the truth. Former Prime Minister of Malaysia, Dr Mahathir, himself an ethnic Malay, called the Malays lazy and dishonest.

Dr M, as he is commonly called, has spent his entire political life trying to get his people to improve themselves. If you want people to improve you have to be honest about what the problem is. If political correctness prevents you from making an honest assessment, then you will get a wrong diagnosis. This means that policy prescriptions cannot bring you the desired results.

It is not racism to speak the truth.

Sertorio,

I would like to add, , that calling people who speak the truth "racist" is an example of "baizuoism."

"Baizuo", a Chinese insult, means, "western left". So my coinage, "baizuoism", means "western leftism". Forbidding people from saying some groups are lazy and dishonest is like making it politically incorrect for a doctor to diagnose cancer. So the doctor has to treat the patient for, say, appendicitis instead. How do you expect the patient to get better?

I would like to add, , that calling people who speak the truth "racist" is an example of "baizuoism."

"Baizuo", a Chinese insult, means, "western left". So my coinage, "baizuoism", means "western leftism". Forbidding people from saying some groups are lazy and dishonest is like making it politically incorrect for a doctor to diagnose cancer. So the doctor has to treat the patient for, say, appendicitis instead. How do you expect the patient to get better?

I had hoped the anti-Chinese racist (or "truthful"?...) cartoons I posted would have made you understand that generalizing about any people may not be racism but it is a sign of extreme shortsightedness. You like to lower Latin peoples to the level of western coolies, but you only show your extreme ignorance about those peoples. Teenage students in Portugal have performed above EU average in mathematics and science, our workers work longer hours than German workers, we have fewer holidays, we retire later, and we have - for the last four years - had a positive trade balance, which shows we produce more value than we consume. But people like you keep treating us as the Club Med crowd, who are lazy and incompetent. I have always considered the Chinese as intelligent people. Must I start thinking that you may have some Latin genes in your DNA which prevent you from understanding simple things?...

I would like to add, , that calling people who speak the truth "racist" is an example of "baizuoism."

"Baizuo", a Chinese insult, means, "western left". So my coinage, "baizuoism", means "western leftism". Forbidding people from saying some groups are lazy and dishonest is like making it politically incorrect for a doctor to diagnose cancer. So the doctor has to treat the patient for, say, appendicitis instead. How do you expect the patient to get better?

I had hoped the anti-Chinese racist (or "truthful"?...) cartoons I posted would have made you understand that generalizing about any people may not be racism but it is a sign of extreme shortsightedness. You like to lower Latin peoples to the level of western coolies, but you only show your extreme ignorance about those peoples. Teenage students in Portugal have performed above EU average in mathematics and science, our workers work longer hours than German workers, we have fewer holidays, we retire later, and we have - for the last four years - had a positive trade balance, which shows we produce more value than we consume. But people like you keep treating us as the Club Med crowd, who are lazy and incompetent. I have always considered the Chinese as intelligent people. Must I start thinking that you may have some Latin genes in your DNA which prevent you from understanding simple things?...

From what you say, the Portuguese are intelligent and hardworking people. So what is the problem? Maybe it is too much Socialism? That is a big killer of jobs and prosperity.